Page 65 of Billionaire Dragon King’s Rejected Mate

For a single, suspended moment, everything seemed to stop before it hit.

Hard.

“Where were the guards?” Sven demanded.

“I don’t know, Sire. I really don’t. I didn’t see anyone else.” The woman burst into tears.

Chance’s grip tightened around the edge of the table as a surge of fury and fear collided in his chest, so intense it left no room for anything else.

“Which way?” he snapped. Guilt that he hadn’t been more cautious to protect almost brought him to his knees.

The woman pointed with a trembling hand. “Out of town. I don’t know where after that.”

Chance didn’t wait for anything more. Sven was right at his side, closely followed by Jakob.

Because whatever this was, and whoever had done it, had just made the worst possible mistake.

They had taken Randi.

Chapter 26

Randi

Randi had never been good at sitting quietly when something was wrong. As the car sped through unfamiliar roads toward Noriveille with armed men surrounding them and Bryn trembling faintly beside her, she found that every ounce of restraint she had ever learned was being stretched to its absolute limit.

Her hands were clenched so tightly in her lap that her knuckles had gone pale. She tried to keep her breathing steady even as anger burned hot and sharp beneath her ribs.

“This is a mistake,” she said for what felt like the tenth time. Her voice was controlled but laced with steel as she looked at the men across from them. “Whatever you think you’re accomplishing here, you’re not, I promise you. If you have even a shred of self-preservation, you’ll turn this car around and let us go before you make things worse for yourselves.”

None of them responded. Not a glance, not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement that they had even heard her.

Randi’s temper flared hotter.

“Do you even understand what you’ve done?” She leaned forward despite the way Bryn’s hand tightened around her sleeve. “You’ve taken the Queen of Stagholt. How do you think King Sven is going to react? And me? I’m the woman connected to the man who just publicly declared war on your king.”

Still nothing. The silence was almost worse than if they had argued back.

Beside her, Bryn shifted and placed one hand protectively over her stomach. Her face was pale but composed in a way that made something protective twist fiercely in Randi’s chest.

Randi turned toward her and lowered her voice. “Hey,” she said gently. “You okay?”

Bryn nodded but she refused to meet Randi’s eyes. “I’m fine.”

Randi didn’t believe her but she also knew Bryn well enough to recognize when pushing wouldn’t help.

Instead, she reached over and took her hand. She gave it a light squeeze. “This is going to be okay. They don’t want to hurt you. I don’t even think King Gunner wants you hurt. You’re too valuable and he won’t want to face Sven.”

“What about you?” Bryn asked quietly.

Randi’s mouth tightened. “I’m a problem,” she said. “Which means I’m useful in a different way.”

By the time they reached Noriveille, Randi’s anger had settled into something colder and far more focused. They were dragged from the car and ushered through stone corridors that felt narrower with every step until the air grew damp and stale. The light dimmed into something oppressive as iron doors came into view.

The dungeon.

Of course. Randi didn’t fight when they pulled the heavy door open. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she knew better than to waste energy on a losing battle when she didn’t yet understand the rules. She also wouldn’t risk Bryn getting hurt.

Instead, she stayed close to her sister. Their shoulders brushed as they were shoved into a cell and the door slammed shut behind them with a final, echoing clang.